Egypt’s Orascom has handed the creative and media brief for its Iraq mobile phone operator Iraqna to Wunderman after a competitive pitch involving eight regional agencies, Campaign can reveal.

Egypt’s Orascom has handed the creative and media brief for its Iraq mobile phone operator Iraqna to Wunderman after a competitive pitch involving eight regional agencies, Campaign can reveal. The business, which includes above and below the line advertising, online, and media planning and buying, is one of the agency’s largest ever account wins, and its first in Iraq. The brief was secured by Wunderman but its sister agency Team Y&R Beirut will develop the above the line creative, Mediaedge:cia will look after media and Wunderman will manage below the line activity. Nassib Boueri, managing director at Wunderman, said the agency was now “seriously” looking at opening an office in Iraq to help manage the business, but it would still be led from both Beirut and Dubai. Iraqna is one of three mobile phone operators in Iraq and covers the central region, which includes Baghdad. Launched in December 2003, the company claims to have 1.5 million subscribers, representing a 41% share of all mobile users in the country. The pitch took place in Beirut on 15 December and the first creative work is expected to break at the end of February. Boueri, said: “Wunderman has a lot of experience doing work for telcos around the world, and this account is a significant win for the group in the region.” Iraqna’s current TVC, which is running on Arab satellite channels and CNN, features Iraqi singer Kazem Al Saher.